I've been in the full grip of paranoid schizophrenia for a number of years now. The most intense period is now over but I still get softer echoes of previous auditory hallucinations which were quite marked, sharp, and blatant at the height of the initial period of the "illness". Whilst the voices used to be "short, sharp shock" barking orders, it has now receded to the "gallery of whispers" as very accurately portrayed in the TV series "Lost", where individuals on the island are enveloped by a seemingly 360 degree surround sound effect of distinct whispering voices in concert.
At the initial "break point" from reality when the psychosis was in full swing there were complete visual hallucinations. I'm still convinced they were real, except how surreal they were - lone motorcyclists in black, unidentified, always with helmets following me everywhere, and finding me absolutely wherever I went no matter what (this was basically the exact same motorcyclist really,on an identical bike, in identical get up), and also seeing things that would appear and then disappear after I looked away. Quite normal, everyday things like cars for instance. One second there, next second gone. That only lasted a matter of about three days though when the psychotic break was the most violent.
So, in answer to your questions:
1. These experiences have been shared previously.
2. "Officially diagnosed", yes. It took about a year and a half for a diagnosis though.
3. I've been on a variety of medications. Though while they alleviate the positive and negative symptoms to greater and lesser degrees respectively, many have quite spectacular side-affects. Some make you even more "ill" than the illness they profess to treat.
4. None.
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